The True Cost That You Pay For Deferring Plumbing Problems

There are many reasons why people put off basic preventive maintenance tasks such as plumbing. However, whatever those reasons may be, it could end up costing you a lot more time and money in the long run. Rather than trying to forget about those leaky taps or toilets, it is best to deal with the problems as they arise and you can make yourself quite a saving!

The Cost Of A Leaky Tap

The American EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) estimates that an average leaky faucet could lose up to 10,000 gallons of water per year. With the cost of services increasing, this could hit you in your wallet quite hard. 10,000 gallons of water is enough to do about 270 loads of washing using your family washing machine, which should help you to put it in context. Someone has to pay for all of that water!

There are other effects as well as financial, as a build-up of water can cause things such as mould or damp. A build-up of water outside the home can also cause structural problems if it is allowed to fester. If you have a wooden home, then water can cause a lot of damage, and replacing critical timbers in your home can prove to be quite expensive. So by delaying in acting on any plumbing problems that arise, you will end up spending a lot more money than you would if you had addressed the problem right away.

Prevention Is Better Than Cure

With modern homes, you tend not to have as many problems, but some older homes will require regular maintenance to your pipes and water systems to keep them running correctly. Whenever you detect a leak, you will want to get it fixed as quickly as possible. So if you have home insurance, make sure to get on to your provider straight away. Get a qualified and reputable plumber to come and fix the problem and also investigate if there are any underlying root causes.

Usually, the quicker you address a problem, the easier it is to fix, so by having your water system regularly maintained you could fix minor issues before they become major. For the cost of a few rubber washers and an hour’s time of a plumber, you can save yourself a substantial amount of money, as well as other potential headaches.

Some of the minor jobs such as replacing washers you can even do yourself with only basic DIY knowledge, and there is a wealth of information freely available on the internet which you can use as your guide. For anything major, you should consult a plumbing expert and have them fix any issues that you have. The last thing that you want to do is to make the problem worse by bodging a DIY job and increasing the cost to fix it!

With regular preventative maintenance, done either by yourself or a professional, you can keep your home nice and snug and hassle free, and help to prevent potential major catastrophes.